Toyota Produced Its 10-Millionth Hybrid Car, a 20-Year Feat

Posted Friday, Mar 10, 2017 by North Hollywood Toyota

Toyota dealers in Southern California and the rest of the U.S. are celebrating a huge accomplishment. The Japanese car company recently announced that it sold over 10 million hybrid cars, and the market for vehicles with Toyota’s environment-friendly hybrid engine isn’t going to slow down anytime soon.

Toyota’s Hybrid History

Almost 20 years ago, in August 1997, Toyota released its first vehicle with a hybrid engine—the Coaster Hybrid EV minibus. Later that same year, the Prius was introduced to the Japanese market, becoming the world’s first mass-produced hybrid vehicle. The Prius came to the United States in 2000 and has steadily grown in popularity ever since.

Toyota now offers 34 different hybrid models globally. In addition to the four hybrid Prius models, customers in the U.S. can purchase hybrid versions of the Avalon, Camry, RAV4, and Highlander. Additionally, Lexus—Toyota Motor Company’s luxury brand—boasts hybrid versions of its CT, ES, GS, NX, and RX models.

Putting the Numbers in Perspective

It’s hard to understand what a massive accomplishment surpassing the 10-million mark is for Toyota without comparing the sales numbers of competitors. To give you a bit more perspective, the Toyota Motor Company has sold approximately 50 times more hybrid vehicles than Tesla—the company that produced the first electric sports car in 2008.

Additionally, Toyota’s hybrid sales greatly surpass those of other competitors in the market. Chevy has only sold a little over 134,000 Volts and Nissan’s Leaf sales are just over 230,000.

Unfortunately, the sales of electrified vehicles from competitors don’t even come close in comparison. However, when you consider the fact that Mazda introduced the MX-5, the most popular two-seater convertible in automotive history, in April of 1989 and has yet to sell one million of them, it really puts things in perspective.

The Newest Prius Model

Toyota’s new Prius model, the Prius Prime, is an entirely new type of hybrid. The car has a hybrid engine that you can plug in to charge. This allows you to drive the vehicle without using the gasoline motor at all.

When using the hybrid engine, the Prius Prime gets an average of 54 mpg, which is comparable to other Prius models. However, running the vehicle on electric only allows you to travel approximately 133 miles before needing to recharge. Additionally, the new Prius model is available with a quick-charging system to reduce waiting time, and you can get a solar-charging system installed for an additional fee.

It’s fair to say that Toyota has the hybrid vehicle market well covered, and the company continues to release newer model hybrids with more high-tech features. The company has surpassed all of its competitors in the market and plans to continue its pattern of success.

If you’re tired of shelling out large sums of money for fuel, a hybrid car is a great option for you. To purchase a reliable hybrid car, contact your North Hollywood Toyota dealer at (800) 800-6730 to schedule a test drive as soon as possible.